The present invention relates to a new and distinct somaclone of rose scented geranium Pelargonium graveolens a member of the family Geraniaceae, which is a stable somaclone of the Indian cultivar Hemanti. The oil of geranium finds extensive use in perfumery, cosmetics, food and pharmaceutical industries (Narayana, 1986). Geranium was introduced in India in the beginning of this century and since then its cultivation and production of oil remained restricted to the high altitude regions of Ootacamund, Kodaikanal and Yercaud areas in South India (Narayana, 1986). India produces hardly 5 tonnes of geranium oil annually as against its own requirement of approximate 100 tonnes per year (Narayana 1986). The production of oil has declined gradually over the years and much of the requirement is met by imports. This may be due to narrow genetic base, resulting partially from sexual infertility, vegetative mode of propagation and restricted area of cultivation.
In India, two cultivars of geranium are mainly known; these are the types that produce Algerian or Tunisian quality and the Bourbon or the Reunion quality of geranium oils; these are given the names Pelargonium×graveolens cv Hemanti and Pelargonium×graveolens cv Bipuli, respectively. The cultivar Hemanti was found to be more adaptive than the cultivar Bipuli both in the hilly regions as well as in the unconventional areas of the plains. On the other hand, the cultivar Bipuli scored better than the Hemanti mainly because of its better oil yield and improved organoleptic value of the oil. The perfumery value of geranium oil is mainly determined by the ratio of citronellol and geraniol and almost equal contents of these two major terpenoid components is generally considered to be the characteristic of the best quality geranium oil.
In an attempt to extend the area of cultivation of geranium to the Indo-gangetic plains, the better adaptive Hemanti cultivar was introduced in the Lucknow conditions in India. Subsequently, efforts were made through different biotechnological methods to develop clones with high content and desirable composition of the oil. The calliclone ‘Parimal ’evolved through this invention represents improvement over the wild type Hemanti parental cultivar both in terms of quality and quantity determining traits of the essential oil. This particular somaclone, being consistently conditions, can offer an improved cultivar for commercial exploitation.